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What is "elaborate"

Crossword clues for elaborate

elaborate
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
elaborate
I.adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a grand/elaborate ceremony
▪ The inhabitants of the town organized a grand ceremony to mark the occasion.
an elaborate lie
▪ Her parents didn’t realise that it was all an elaborate lie.
an elaborate pretence (=one that is carefully planned and done, but obviously not true or real )
▪ He made an elaborate pretence of yawning and said he was going to bed.
an elaborate system
▪ The proposal has to get through an elaborate system of committees.
elaborate hoax
▪ an elaborate hoax
elaborate precautions (=a lot of detailed precautions)
▪ Elaborate precautions were taken to avoid disputes between the representatives.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
increasingly
▪ The new factory made it possible for the company to produce increasingly elaborate garments.
▪ Moreover, with time and aided by the debate, the accepted ideas become increasingly elaborate.
▪ Most surviving examples date from the eighteenth century, by which time the decoration became increasingly elaborate and stylised.
quite
▪ Some biochemists have built up quite elaborate blueprints for forms of life utterly different from our own.
▪ There are several quite elaborate private lists in existence, but none of these has yet been published.
▪ This involved quite elaborate dressing-up, and the fun and laughter of those Boxing Day nights was a treasure indeed.
▪ A correlator's input consists of examples with just a few features which can be quite elaborate.
very
▪ Since coal is formed from plants, which are chemically very complicated, its own chemical make-up is very elaborate.
▪ Yet the church is a very elaborate structure with evidence of a Norman nave and elaborate stone-vaulted chancel.
▪ Despite a very elaborate legal code on the use of pesticides, introduced in 1973, the situation remains unchanged.
■ NOUN
hoax
▪ It was still not clear last night whether the tapes were an elaborate hoax.
▪ This was nothing but an elaborate hoax perpetrated by her in revenge for all the suffering I had caused her.
plan
▪ It was a hell of an elaborate plan just for a wind-up.
▪ Of course, Aunt Rose had elaborate plans for her own death and dispersal.
▪ Despite the elaborate plans, there were few takers.
ritual
▪ The elaborate rituals surrounding the preparation of the icon are not without purpose or effect.
▪ There are elaborate rituals of atonement to be found there.
scheme
▪ This aspect of the deal was necessary because Altus Finance needed to unwind an elaborate scheme it had concocted in 1991.
set
▪ In the weeks following the dinner Lutyens swiftly drew up an elaborate set of plans.
structure
▪ For elaborate structures stick rocks together with silicone sealant, but let it cure completely before putting it into your tank water.
▪ Although the rules which provide its definition are surprisingly simple, the set itself exhibits an endless variety of highly elaborate structure.
▪ Their cells have the most elaborate structure.
▪ Yet the church is a very elaborate structure with evidence of a Norman nave and elaborate stone-vaulted chancel.
▪ Many of those that live in the sea secrete shells with the most elaborate structure of silica or lime.
system
▪ An elaborate system of rain-water drains can be seen, reconstructed by Evans, at the East Entrance.
▪ An elaborate system of spectral classes has been established by a persistent cadre of asteroid observers.
▪ In 1882, this elaborate system was extended further.
▪ Good luck, bad luck, an elaborate system of beliefs, superstitions, symbols.
▪ The main purpose of this elaborate system was almost certainly profit for the king.
▪ Examination of particular species seems to show elaborate systems for enhancing cross-pollination.
▪ An elaborate system of nozzles and fan-draught cowls minimises the risks of lead-poisoning.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Elaborate murals had been painted on three of the four walls.
▪ an elaborate tattoo of an eagle
▪ Cho and Lee celebrated their new partnership at an elaborate banquet.
▪ Mike had worked out an elaborate system for categorizing his collection of CDs.
▪ Nick examined the elaborate carvings on the tomb.
▪ She had prepared an elaborate excuse for her absence.
▪ Sociologists have been coming up with increasingly elaborate theories to explain unsafe sexual practices.
▪ The diaries have been published in one volume, with elaborate biographical notes by Professor Emson.
▪ The lawyer had concocted an elaborate defence that gave a totally false impression of what happened.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ After our return to Wichita, the master worked out an elaborate tour, with a record number of weekly performances.
▪ But Frank Bascombe, for all his hapless domestic incompetence and elaborate self-pity, was interesting and kind of likable.
▪ He did not typically employ elaborate statistics to test hypotheses or use control groups in his research.
▪ Police said they were elaborate devices, of similar construction, designed to give the impression they were bombs.
▪ Seven ruff, without as yet their elaborate courtship adornments, fed at the northern tip of a tyke.
▪ Simple simulations can be as effective for training purposes as more elaborate ones and can certainly be more cost effective.
▪ The interior is more elaborate, but has also been more altered in later ages.
▪ The propagation of Aponogeton from seeds is elaborate and slow and requires special tanks without fish.
II.verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
further
▪ The needs of the course of justice prevent me from elaborating further now.
▪ Airline spokesmen declined to elaborate further Thursday.
▪ I suppose you wouldn't care to elaborate further?
▪ The relevance of autonomy for cognitive development is further elaborated in Chapter 8.
▪ Background factors further elaborate the variations.
▪ Louisa began elaborating further examples about other kids, teachers, or parents causing her to forget things.
▪ I've suggested several simple patterns for you but you can elaborate further on these yourself.
■ NOUN
point
▪ He then proceeded to elaborate on that point.
▪ It would be unwise to elaborate on the last point.
▪ I shall return to, and elaborate on, these points.
▪ Let us elaborate on these points.
■ VERB
decline
▪ De Benedetti disclosed that Hewlett-Packard Co had also approached Olivetti for a possible alliance, but declined to elaborate.
▪ These could include tapping the Federal Financing Bank or a $ 40 billion currency stabilization fund, though Rubin declined to elaborate.
▪ He said he got a positive reaction from council members to his remarks about Western aid but declined to elaborate.
▪ Airline spokesmen declined to elaborate further Thursday.
▪ Doherty said deals with content providers may be announced shortly but declined to elaborate.
▪ Mr Chandler declined to elaborate on the departures.
▪ The company said further restructuring plans could follow this announcement but declined to elaborate.
refuse
▪ Although pressed, McCurry refused to elaborate.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ I would like now to elaborate upon the points raised in my introduction.
▪ This argument will be elaborated more fully in the next chapter.
▪ What exactly do you mean by "traditional education"? Would you care to elaborate?
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ I say, and wait for him to elaborate.
▪ I suppose you wouldn't care to elaborate further?
▪ The process can, of course, be elaborated, on the basis of a suitably detailed marketing strategy.
▪ These could include tapping the Federal Financing Bank or a $ 40 billion currency stabilization fund, though Rubin declined to elaborate.
▪ This approach is elaborated in Chapter 5.
▪ This simple story line was elaborated in the works of Hesiod, Aeschylus, Lucian, Ovid, and others.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Elaborate

Elaborate \E*lab"o*rate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Elaborated; p. pr. & vb. n. Elaborating.]

  1. To produce with labor

    They in full joy elaborate a sigh,
    --Young.

  2. To perfect with painstaking; to improve or refine with labor and study, or by successive operations; as, to elaborate a painting or a literary work.

    The sap is . . . still more elaborated and exalted as it circulates through the vessels of the plant.
    --Arbuthnot.

Elaborate

Elaborate \E*lab"o*rate\, a. [L. elaboratus, p. p. of elaborare to work out; e out + laborare to labor, labor labor. See Labor.] Wrought with labor; finished with great care; studied; executed with exactness or painstaking; as, an elaborate discourse; an elaborate performance; elaborate research.

Drawn to the life in each elaborate page.
--Waller.

Syn: Labored; complicated; studied; perfected; high-wrought. -- E*lab"o*rate*ly, adv. -- E*lab"o*rate*ness, n.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
elaborate

1590s, "wrought by labor," from Latin elaboratus, past participle of elaborare "to exert oneself" (see elaboration). Meaning "very detailed" is from 1620s, via notion of "produced with great care and attention to detail." Related: elaborateness.

elaborate

c.1600, "to build up from simple elements," from Latin elaboratus, past participle of elaborare "to labor, endeavor, struggle, work out" (see elaboration). Meaning "to work out in detail" is attested from 1610s. Related: Elaborated; elaborating.

Wiktionary
elaborate

  1. 1 Highly complex, detailed, or sophisticated. 2 intricate, fancy, flashy, or showy. v

  2. (context intransitive English) (''used with'' '''on''' ''when used with an object'') To give further detail or explanation (about).

Related phrases:
WordNet
elaborate

  1. adj. marked by complexity and richness of detail; "an elaborate lace pattern" [syn: luxuriant]

  2. developed or executed with care and in minute detail; "a detailed plan"; "the elaborate register of the inhabitants prevented tax evasion"- John Buchan; "the carefully elaborated theme" [syn: detailed, elaborated]

elaborate

  1. v. add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; "She elaborated on the main ideas in her dissertation" [syn: lucubrate, expatiate, exposit, enlarge, flesh out, expand, expound, dilate] [ant: abridge]

  2. produce from basic elements or sources; change into a more developed product; "The bee elaborates honey"

  3. make more complex, intricate, or richer; "refine a design or pattern" [syn: complicate, refine, rarify]

  4. work out in detail; "elaborate a plan" [syn: work out]

Related phrases:

Usage examples of "elaborate".

These patterns are abstracted for the most part from leaves and flowers - the rose, the lotus, the acanthus, palm, papyrus - and are elaborated, with recurrences and variations, into something transportingly reminiscent of the living geometries of the Other World.

Particle accelerators are based on the same principle: They hurl bits of matter such as electrons and protons at each other as well as at other targets, and elaborate detectors analyze the resulting spray of debris to determine the architecture of the objects involved.

The adjutant by his elaborate courtesy appeared to wish to ward off any attempt at familiarity on the part of the Russian messenger.

The copy then went on to elaborate that we truly believe our product is so superior that other advertising experts should be using us.

The clerestory shafts in the aisle of the north transept are bolder than in the south, and the capitals, especially on the east side, are more elaborate and beautiful.

Seregil asked in a haughty, slightly nasal voice, giving Alec an elaborate bow.

Holding his tongue, Alec saw that they were entering an area of larger, more elaborate buildings.

Short-chain aliphatic compounds are elaborated by female monkeys in response to estradiol, and these are of consuming interest to the males.

Mac Ard let the silence linger, and Jenna forced herself to stay quiet, though she could see him waiting for her to elaborate.

Old Argyle, in all his elaborate precautions to protect his treasures for posterity, had not foreseen the day when attacks would be possible from the air.

The most likely suspect for that was Franz Ascher, but I could not imagine Ascher inventing and carrying out such an elaborate scheme, nor could I see him planning a premeditated murder.

Hanson went through an elaborate pantomime, at whose conclusion Asey shook his head.

Tompkins, of Boston, had explained at elaborate length those working principles, by the due and careful maintenance of which the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad not only extended its territory, increased its departmental influence, and transported livestock without starving them to death before the day of actual delivery, but also had for years succeeded in deceiving those passen84 F.

With her other hand, Miss Azimuth was making elaborate gestures while she talked.

It took Mum a long time to get ready and while she powdered her face and arranged the elaborate ornamented folds of her head-gear and dug out her necklaces and bangles, her wrappers and white shoes, and plaited her hair hurriedly in the mirror, Dad was already asleep on his three-legged chair.